Russians stand up for Stavropol officer Guriev

As of today, the petition demanding to defend the rights of Alexei Guriev, the former head of the Kochubeevo District GIBDD (traffic police) Division, has been signed by more than 146,000 people. Guriev was convicted for having punished for illegal driving a son of a top manager of a large oil company, the woman-author of the petition has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 19, 2017, the Kochubeevo District Court sentenced Alexei Guriev to eight years in colony, having found him guilty of taking bribes.

The petition "We demand to liberate the police officer, who caught a minor oligarch's son at illegal driving" was posted on the Change.org platform in mid-November by Maya Shakhova, a Russian resident.

According to her version, on August 28, 2015, Alexei Guriev stopped a Mercedes, driven by a 14-year-old son of a top manager of a huge Russian oil company.

"Despite the unequivocal threats and pressure, Alexei Guriev brought the case to the end: the car was sent to a penalty parking lot; and materials were gathered against its owner on an administrative violation. [...] A few months later, in early 2016, threats of the local oligarch began implementing – a criminal case was opened against Guriev," Maya Shakhova has stressed in her petition. She asked Russian President and the Chair of the Supreme Court "to take the further fate of the police officer under their personal control."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.